A taste of Puerto Rico is only a short drive away this time, as Haley Moreira has been serving authentic food from the Caribbean island from a food truck in Bingen since earlier this year.
The business is the culmination of Morera’s passion for cooking, pride in her heritage and love for her family.
The name of the business certainly would be, if the intense sweet and spicy flavors emanating from the truck didn’t convey her pride in her Puerto Rican background. Boricua in la Luna, literally “Puerto Rican in the Moon,” is a tribute to the popular song of the island of the same name and an expression of joy in sharing its culture.
Morera was born in San Juan and grew up in Caguas, south of the island’s capital. Ever since she was a little girl, Morera has found joy in helping her grandmother in the kitchen and exploring different flavors. “Ever since I was little, I’ve loved strong flavors,” she said. “I’m like a little four-year-old eating blue cheese with grandma…everything you think a four-year-old wouldn’t eat.”
As a teenager, she began experimenting in the kitchen, a hobby that grew into a passion.
She moved to the Cliffs about 10 years ago, and in the back of her mind she was brainstorming ideas for a local restaurant. So finding the food truck was a tough time for her.
In January, Hack Truck owners Eric and Jessie Stenberg put their beloved food truck up for sale after more than five years in the community. When Moreira saw the listing on Facebook, she said something about it and shared it on her personal page.
A menu board outside the Boricua en la Luna food truck.
Photo of Jacob Bertram
“People started going crazy, and they were like, ‘Oh my God, this is for you. This is it,’ she recalls.
That moment sealed her fate. Before she knew it, she said, she was filing paperwork for a business license, saving up for the truck and developing a menu — something she said couldn’t be done without the support of her family, including father Jose, a helpful business partner.
For example, when preparing the menu, she said she kept the menu a little more modest with simple dishes she knew would please her customers, such as pollo a la plancha — grilled chicken breast, grilled and served with rice and beans.
“I think I’ve always been hard on myself, but I feel like we’re our own worst critics,” she said.
Her father, who lives in Puerto Rico, began to push her outside of her comfort zone, prompting her to start making skirt steak, churrasco and chicharrones de pollo fried chicken, which she now sells in abundance at the truck.
Each day is busy for her, from preparing and cooking for her traveling business to creating food for the business’s catering, so she says she’s glad to have the help of her mother, Cara, and sister, Isabella. Her 8-year-old son, Sebastian, helps out by bringing drinks to customers from time to time.
“I’m so grateful to have family and so much support, because I don’t know if I could have done it all by myself,” she said.
She hopes to expand her business in the future, but for now she is focused on creating great food.
“It was incredibly hard, but extremely rewarding,” she said.
Boricua in La Luna is located at 415 W Steuben St. Located in Bingen. They are open Monday to Friday 11am to 2pm and are now accepting takeout and delivery orders.
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